Was the UFC right to strip the women’s flyweight champion of her title when she failed to weigh in for UFC 228? Retired UFC and WEC fighter Danny Downes joins MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes to discuss in this week’s Trading Shots.

* * * *

Downes: Ben, I think it’s safe to say that UFC 228 over-delivered on Saturday night. We had crushing knockouts, two Suloev stretches, and the old veterans even pulled off a couple wins.

It didn’t go off without a hitch, though. A day before the event, then flyweight champion Nicco Montano was hospitalized during her weight cut because her “kidneys shut down.”

Because of this, the fight with Valentina Shevchenko was cancelled and the UFC stripped her of the title. Since then, Montano has released a statement where she explains her side of the story.

Montano has definitely been put through the ringer the last few months. At the same time, it’s a fighter’s job to make weight and be a professional. Do you agree with the decision to strip Montano of the belt she never defended? Or do you oppose it because UFC President Dana White supports it?

Fowlkes: You know what would be nice, Danny? If we didn’t have to wonder what would happen in situations like this because there was a clear progression of actions and consequences that the UFC followed no matter which fighter was involved.

For instance, you want to make a rule that any champion who fails to make it to weigh-ins immediately gets stripped of the title? OK, I can see the logic behind that. You could even make the rule more specific, saying that champions who have not yet defended the belt will lose it if they fall out before fight night.

What seems like a problem to me is this: the not knowing. A UFC champion faces a health emergency during her weight cut, and she can’t say for sure what will happen if she decides to go to the hospital. That seems likely to make weight cuts even more dangerous, since it sends the message that, as far as the UFC is concerned, the real problem is not needing medical attention but seeking it out. It also forces us to wonder if other champions would have been treated the same way under the same circumstances.

That’s where some kind of clear, written protocol would really come in handy. It could tell us what actions (or inactions) will get your title stripped. Without that, stripping Montano of her title just smacks of knee-jerk frustration. White and the crew are mad that she fouled up the plan, so now the champ isn’t the champ anymore. Take that.

What does this do to the already questionable legitimacy of these titles, Danny? And how is any UFC champ supposed to feel or believe or act like these belts are actually theirs, when over and over again the UFC reminds us that the company owns the titles, and will do with them as it pleases, despite what happens (or doesn’t) inside the cage?

Downes: I don’t think it does much to the legitimacy of UFC titles because that ship left the port of Mt. Xyience long ago. By this point the title of “Fight Master” has more validity than a UFC belt.

You’re correct that there should be a standard operating procedure for titles. Don’t defend it in X amount of days? Stripped. Don’t make weight for a title fight? Stripped. Fail a drug test because of some Thai sex pills? Well … let me get back to you on that one.

The problem with laying down an SOP for UFC titles is that it takes away what gives the UFC an advantage over other sports organizations – flexibility.

Sadly, this flexibility is often used to the detriment of the athletes, but it’s not hard to imagine a situation in which a strict adherence to rules might make a sporting event less enjoyable. You know, something like a major women’s tennis championship. I know you love following the letter of the law as much as anyone, but a UFC rulebook that looks like a Dickens novel isn’t the answer.

You don’t have to throw a handtruck at a bus to realize some fighters receive preferential treatment. Before last night, Diego Sanchez was 4-6 in his past 10 fights. He had been knocked out in the first round in three of his past four fights. Why does he still have a job? Because you can’t judge every fighter based on his win/loss record.

You may not like how things went down this week, but what’s your alternative? We re-book a fight that’s already been canceled twice? The division may not have a long history in the UFC, but it has to move on eventually, doesn’t it?

Fowlkes: It does. And I think there’s a reasonable conversation to be had about stripping a champion who doesn’t even make it to the scale for her first title defense. But if that’s the rule, fine. Tell us that it’s the rule and let’s proceed from there. Deciding consequences based solely on who commits the offense is a recipe for instability.

Should Montano have been stripped for messing up her weight cut? Maybe. I also think it’s worth considering her claim, which is that her body was all out of whack after the “TUF 26” tournament and the illnesses that forced her into surgery after winning the title, and after being rushed to commit to a title fight before she was truly ready (the subject of another Trading Shots column) she couldn’t physically handle the weight cut.

So what do we end up with in the end? First the UFC tells us Montano is the best women’s flyweight in the world, and the proof was the shiny gold belt she got for winning that tournament. Then she goes to the hospital on fight week and now she’s not the best anymore, just because of that? Instead we’re just going to pick two 125-pound women and have them fight for the title. So that whole reality show tournament turns out to have been about nothing. Cool. Great.

I get what you’re saying about the freedom the UFC enjoys, which allows it to do whatever it thinks will worst best this weekend without worrying about consistency or long-term ramifications. Having rules you have to follow is a downer sometimes. But it’s also how you have an institution that means anything. Otherwise you’re just throwing big, gaudy belts around, signifying nothing.

For complete coverage of UFC 228, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who has also written for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.